The Blowing Rock Town Council added its voice in the matter of how sales tax is distributed in Watauga County, taking action at their meeting late yesterday afternoon to ask the Watauga Commission to leave ad valorem as the sales tax distribution formula for the county. The Watauga
Commission changed from per capita last year in a dispute over a number of issues with the Boone Town Council, including changes the county claimed caused the sale of the old Watauga High site to be killed, and a dispute with the town of Boone over appointments to the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction area surrounding Boone. After finally holding a joint meeting, the two bodies have come together over the ETJ appointments, but the topic of the old High School property, impacted by the passage of changes to Boones development ordinance on affordable housing are still a sore point. Boones budget took a hit of nearly $2 million. The county must tell the state by April 30th their choice for distribution for 2014-15.